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How Social Business platforms extend the reach and value of document-centric knowledge

Knowledge is not just approved and categorized documents, but it’s also the ‘little knowledge’ that flows about us during the workday. I call this “knowledge in motion,” the kinetic information that flows by and nearly always disappears. Online collaboration persists this kind of knowledge. It’s really ‘wisdom:’ knowledge enhanced with context (value, when, who) . Via links and tags, all knowledge can be more findable — exploitable — across the boundaries of time, team and culture.

Allow me illustrate via a story in Prezi. I introduce Thomas, now a senior scientist, who has a legacy of documented knowledge and profitable accomplishment for his company. Younger scientists from other countries find his documents and they release this content-centric knowledge into the company’s social business environment. Furthermore, they augment it with what they know, what they find outside and even things Thomas doesn’t know. Thus his ‘legacy’ grows. Eventually, Thomas is drawn into the emergent social network. I also show how Thomas attempts to collaborate with himself over time, and fails because he can’t find his own ‘little knowledge.’